Belgian fruit and vegetable major Greenyard has issued a statement after being linked with a takeover of Dutch peer The Fruit Farm Group.
In a short but carefully-worded statement issued today (21 October), Greenyard said: “Greenyard took note of an article published today in Belgian newspaper De Standaard, stating that the company is looking to integrate The Fruit Farm Group into the group structure.
“With this release, the group states that there is nothing to report on any possible merger or acquisition.”
Created in 2014, The Fruit Farm Group, based in the southern Dutch city of Breda, has operations in Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay.
Describing itself as a regenerative farming group, it produces a range of fruit including avocados, cherries, oranges and grapefruit.
Just Food has asked it for its comments on the report linking it to Greenyard.
Greenyard’s most recent acquisition was the purchase of Belgian plant-based ice cream business Crème de la Crème in April.
The deal saw Greenyard buy a production facility in Hasselt in the east of the country.
The company entered the category in May last year when it bought Italian vegan ice cream manufacturer Gigi.
In August, Greenyard reported a 4.4% rise in first-quarter net sales to €1.33bn. In the group's most recent full financial year, it generated a 9.5% increase in sales to €5.14bn. It booked a net profit of €15.2m, up from €9.3m a year earlier.
